"If we are heading for a fall, the reasons are many: rising taxes, increasing welfare, unsustainable debt, expanding government, state paternalism, apathy." I am writing these words today, but they could just as easily have been spoken on the floor of the Roman Senate in the second or third century AD.
The similarities between 21st century America and second century Rome are uncanny. We face every problem they faced, including near elimination of the middle class through ever increasing taxes, overflowing welfare rolls due to endless government dole of one form or another, even takeover of their once proud independent cities by the central government.
And you know what? No one cared. Citizens were happy to let the government take care of them, whatever the cost. Of course, the cost was the fall of the Roman Empire.
There is no doubt some saw it coming - knew it had to happen - knew it couldn't be fixed - couldn't wait for the whole thing to blow up so that Western civilization could begin anew.
I wonder if those people are around today, cheering Corzine and Obama at the PNC Bank Arts Center, perhaps.
No comments:
Post a Comment